I suppose it was inevitable, but last week I entered quarantine in a small apartment in Jerusalem for up to two weeks. Purely a precaution, no worries. Plus, there’s a balcony. And sunshine and wifi, so I am totally fine. Continue reading
Category Archives: Real Food
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Salad Meets Pad Thai
This is the very best salad for a warm weather meal, and, besides that, there is a strong possibility that you could live on it. It is that good. Plus, it fills your belly and sticks to your ribs, so you won’t be hungry for a good long while. Notice one trick: cutting the vegetables very thinly increases the amount of surface area for the dressing to stick to, and that makes it so much tastier! So take your time, and don’t hurry through the prep. The right kind of cutting and chopping are the secret to this delicious salad. Continue reading
Fun is Fine, It’s Just Not Food
There is a very big difference between nutrition and entertainment. Food is nourishing. It’s what goes into our mouths when we choose stuff that’s loaded with fiber and color, like vegetables and beans, nuts, fruits, seeds, and whole grains. Fun, on the other hand, is nothing like food. Fun (which often goes by interesting names like “junk food” or “fast food” or “processed food”) is made with products like white flour, white rice, corn syrup, corn starch, commodity oils (soy, corn, cottonseed) and, of course, sugar, which you tend to find in items that are ultraprocessed. Food nourishes you. Fun entertains you. Sometimes you feel like a little entertainment. That’s fine. Go ahead and enjoy. But it doesn’t go in the plus category. It’s just for fun. Continue reading
Reversing Winter Insulation in the Springtime
A while back, I received a timely message from a reader: “With the weather warming I am digging out summer clothes and finding that some things are a bit “snug.” My diet is healthy and I run several times a week, but I would love to shed a few pounds around my waist. If my diet is already good, what would you suggest to take a few pounds off?”
Let’s look at this request from a seasonal standpoint. Continue reading
Michael Ruhlman Quotes Sukol, and my TEDx Talk!
I am THRILLED to announce that my #TED talk is up and ready to go! Many thanks to my family, friends and colleagues, especially Gina Messina-Dysert and Melissa Celko, for their unwavering inspiration and support!!
Oats: From Instant to Steel-Cut, and Everything In Between
Oats are a hardy grain that grows well even in poor soil in which many other crops cannot thrive. Scottish settlers brought oats to North America early in the 17th century. Like many other manufactured products on the shelves at the supermarket, it’s not so easy to tell the difference between the various kinds. So here is a short lesson. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Stuffed Pumpkin & Braised Onions
My kitchen counter is once again covered with pumpkins and onions, so it must be getting close to November! Here are two unusual and extraordinary recipes to use up your pumpkins and onions. If you have time, try to make the onions the day before, because as good as they are, they taste even better the next day! And they are great recipes for holiday celebrations, too. Continue reading
Try Nourishing Yourself with Joy
Today we’re talking about diets. To diet is to restrict oneself, to deny oneself pleasure. Well that sounds kind of miserable. No wonder diets don’t work. Who would want to do something that makes you feel bad?
Dieting is a logical consequence of the assumption that overweight is due to overindulgence. But there is a fault — a big, fat one — within this assumption: If it were true that overindulgence were the cause of overweight, then denial would be an effective and viable option for losing weight. But it is not, of course, which is why you have probably noticed that diets virtually never work. Continue reading
What to Tell Your Doctor About The Way You Eat
You can probably guess that the obesity epidemic has changed the way medicine is practiced, but you may not know that this change has come about more quickly than doctors have been trained to address it. Ever wonder why doctors are clueless about how to address this problem? Because most of us are as stymied by the problem as the next person. If there was a quick fix, we’d all be better off. But there isn’t, and we’re all in the same boat. Continue reading
Enjoy Your Meal, Taste Your Food
I like to think that nourishing oneself is actually pretty basic, and I love Michael Pollan’s famous guidelines: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Instead of forbidding yourself an entire food group, or filling your grocery cart with the latest processed food-like sensation, how about just focusing on the basics? Meals were never meant to be about protein bars, diet sodas, fast food, or drive-thru windows. Meals are for taking a break, catching up, sharing food, experiences, stories. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just needs to be the point of the exercise. Not eating on the run, for example, but eating for purposes of eating. And I would add one more suggestion — enjoying every bite. Continue reading